Evel Knievel tribute Triumph Bonneville motorcycle

The bike most commonly linked with the late stunt great Evel Knievel might have been a Harley Davison, but the bike he made his name on was a Triumph – the machine he used for his Caesars Palace jump.

In October Middlesex dealer Jack Lilley began work on a bike to commemorate the pivotal moment in Evel Knievel’s career, but since Evel’s death on November 30 the bike has also become a tribute to Evel’s life and stunt career.

The Bonneville Scrambler’s tank was stripped of its ‘mouth organ’ tank badges, and painted in Evel Knievel’s traditional stars and stripes design, with an airbrushed design depicting Evel jumping an original Bonneville. 

The painted Knievel is laid over Evel’s trademark American stars and stripes number one, which also contains the original jump date and venue as well as the 40th Anniversary date.

Gold leaf is used for the ‘Caesar’s Palace’ and ‘Evel Knievel’ wording.

The rear seat unit was swapped for the Bonneville Thruxton seat with a humped single seat cowl and undertray (which more closely resembled the stubby tail of the jump bike), and the front mudguard was shortened in order to look similar to the jump bike (which ran without any guard), but keep the bike road legal.

Similarly, standard stacked pipes were kept for legality whereas the original ran open header pipes. New high and wide bars give the right look.

Whoever buys the bike will have to fork out £8,250 on the road – £2,351 more than the stock Scrambler – but they don’t just get the bike.

Jack Lilley says the buyer will also receive a photo of Knievel’s Caesars Palace leap, signed by the late daredevil himself.

See more in this week’s MCN, on sale Friday, December 28, 2007.

• Check out the video to see Evel Knievel’s Caesar’s Palace jump on the Triumph Bonneville